I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to concrete batching systems and, more particularly, to improvements in a transportable batching plant.
II. Discussion of the Related Art
Permanent plants for preparing batches of concrete including mixing stone, sand, portland cement and water have long been used for premixing these materials prior to transferring them to transit carriers, including concrete mixer trucks, for delivery to job sites for pouring. Premixed concrete, however, is extremely heavy and must be used within a very limital time span after it is mixed. The need to haul concrete over long distances from permanent mixing plant installations to job sites, as is the case with highway construction or in the building of rather large facilities at sites remote from the nearest permanent concrete mixing establishment, have led to the development of transportable concrete batching systems which are capable of being moved via the highway system.
These are knock-down or readily disassembled units which fold and unfold on themselves to a certain degree for transport and installation at the desired batching site. While these transportable systems have greatly shortened the distances required to transport mixed or mixing concrete, the capacity of these portable units has been severely restricted because of legal highway transport size considerations. The height, length and width dimensions of the system as configured for highway travel have always been under critical limitations or constraints which, in turn, have limited the size of the containers and the clearance for other mechanisms of the system. In this regard, there has been a need for improving the relative size of the containers such as those for supplying stone and sand which can be utilized with such a system and also with increasing the transportable safety of delicate mechanisms such as strain gauges used to weigh the ingredients making up the dry batch.